1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to cooling systems of computing devices, and more specifically, to systems and methods for controlling fluid coolant flow in cooling systems of computing devices.
2. Description of Related Art
A rack server, also referred to as a rack-mounted server, is a computer dedicated for use as a server and designed to be installed in a framework called a rack. The rack contains multiple mounting slots called bays, each designed to hold a hardware unit. A single rack may contain multiple servers stacked one above the other, consolidating network resources and minimizing required floor space. The rack server configuration also simplifies cabling among network components.
In a rack containing several servers, a special cooling system may be needed to prevent excessive heat buildup that would otherwise occur when many power-dissipating components are confined in a small space. Air is commonly used for cooling rack servers. Increasingly, water cooling is being used to deal with the special cooling requirements of rack servers in data centers, because data centers are often assigned the most convenient available space as opposed to a space that is adequately ventilated. Further, air in data centers is usually cooled using a refrigeration system that can consume as much as 30% of the data center power. For at least these reasons, it is desired to provide improved techniques for utilizing water for cooling rack servers while optimizing server performance.